Getting through conflict is always tricky, especially family conflict. One of the best navigational tools to help us in this effort is something we see put on display in the life of Jacob just before his reunion with his estranged brother, Esau in their story in Genesis. While Jacob’s approach is rooted in having a correct understanding of who God is and who we are, we often talk about it in terms of dessert. Let’s talk about resolving conflict, pie, and how to get relationships right.
A Slice of Pie
I grew up in Independence, MO. My hometown has several claims to fame, but the most recent and well-known is that it was the hometown of President Truman. Truman still looms large over the medium-sized city that still feels like a small town in many ways. The First Baptist Church I grew up attending has an address on Truman Road. It is just a couple of blocks up from the Truman Home where he lived before becoming President and afterwards until his death in 1972. If you look down another street that goes out from the church you can see the Truman Library about a mile up the road. My high school and undergraduate institutions were both named for him. Reading about half of his classic biography by David McCullough was required in my college history class. It was pretty much all Truman all the time for me.
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The Nexus 